April Discussions: Drought Continues/Driest April On Record!

[srainhoutx]

A bit of everything on the TX Visible this afternoon. Wildfires in W TX down to S of the Border (S of Big Bend) & W of Del Rio and a large severe weather outbreak...

[srainhoutx]

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
423 PM CDT TUE APR 26 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LEAGUE CITY HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
HOUSTON COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS...

* UNTIL 515 PM CDT

* AT 420 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING QUARTER SIZE HAIL. THIS
STORM WAS LOCATED 15 MILES NORTHWEST OF AUSTONIO...AND MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT
LIMITED TO GRAPELAND AND CROCKETT.

[srainhoutx]

Tornado Watch issued until 10:00PM for areas N of Harris County...

Code: Select all

.    TEXAS COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE
     
     ANGELINA             AUSTIN              BASTROP             
     BRAZOS               BURLESON            FAYETTE             
     GRIMES               HARDIN              HAYS                
     HOUSTON              JASPER              LEE                 
     LIBERTY              MADISON             MONTGOMERY          
     NACOGDOCHES          NEWTON              POLK                
     SABINE               SAN AUGUSTINE       SAN JACINTO         
     SHELBY               TRAVIS              TRINITY             
     TYLER                WALKER              WALLER              
     WASHINGTON           WILLIAMSON      

[srainhoutx]

What a nice cool evening in Laredo...

Wind from the WSW (240 degrees) at 14 MPH (12 KT) gusting to 21 MPH (18 KT)
Visibility 10 mile(s)
Sky conditions clear
Temperature 110.8 F (43.8 C)
Dew Point 34.9 F (1.6 C)
Relative Humidity 7%
Pressure (altimeter) 29.37 in. Hg (994 hPa)
ob KLRD 262156Z 24012G18KT 10SM CLR 44/02 A2937 RMK AO2 T04380016 SLP930

[Ptarmigan]

Hopefully, we will get some rain tonight or tomorrow morning.

[hriverajr]

111 in Laredo right now...

[Ptarmigan]

What a nice cool evening in Laredo...

Wind from the WSW (240 degrees) at 14 MPH (12 KT) gusting to 21 MPH (18 KT)
Visibility 10 mile(s)
Sky conditions clear
Temperature 110.8 F (43.8 C)
Dew Point 34.9 F (1.6 C)
Relative Humidity 7%
Pressure (altimeter) 29.37 in. Hg (994 hPa)
ob KLRD 262156Z 24012G18KT 10SM CLR 44/02 A2937 RMK AO2 T04380016 SLP930

That's really hot!

[hriverajr]

Some compressional heating perhaps?

[sleetstorm]

Some of those thunderstorms in parts of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma are detonating with growh. That tells all of us just how ripe conditions in the atmosphere are over there.

[jasons2k]

MESOSCALE DISCUSSION 0602
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0643 PM CDT TUE APR 26 2011

AREAS AFFECTED...PORTIONS CENTRAL/NRN/ERN TX...WRN/NRN LA...SWRN AR.

CONCERNING...TORNADO WATCH 215...220...

VALID 262343Z - 270145Z

THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT FOR TORNADO WATCH 215...220...CONTINUES.

CONTINUE WWS..ESPECIALLY S AND E OF METROPLEX. WHILE COLD FRONT HAS
PASSED THROUGH DFW AREA...SVR TSTMS WITH LARGE HAIL STILL ARE
POSSIBLE OVER THAT AREA. SIGNIFICANT/DAMAGING TORNADO THREAT MAY
INCREASE OVER PARTS OF NE TX...SWRN AR AND NRN LA THROUGH REMAINDER
EVENING.

SEVERAL SUPERCELLS...SOME WITH HISTORY OF DAMAGING TORNADOES BETWEEN
CRS-TYR...WILL MOVE EWD TO ENEWD ACROSS NE TX INTO ENVIRONMENT
CHARACTERIZED BY STRENGTHENING LOW-LEVEL SHEAR. ADDITIONAL
DEVELOPMENT NEAR ACT...ALONG WITH ANY TSTMS THAT MAY EVOLVE FROM
DEEP TOWERS EVIDENT IN VIS IMAGERY FARTHER S ALONG DRYLINE TO N OF
SAT...ALSO MAY POST TORNADO RISK AS THEY MOVE EWD INTO ENVIRONMENT
THAT WILL BE CHARACTERIZED BY STRENGTHENING LOW-LEVEL SHEAR AND
LOWERING LCL THROUGH EVENING. THIS ACTIVITY WILL BEGIN TO AFFECT
NRN LA BEFORE 01Z. ALTHOUGH PRE-STORM/WARM-SECTOR MLCAPE WILL
DECREASE SOMEWHAT FROM CURRENT 2500-3500 J/KG VALUES...LOW-LEVEL
THETAE WILL MAINTAIN MODERATELY TO VERY UNSTABLE PROFILE AND
SFC-BASED EFFECTIVE INFLOW PARCELS. MEANWHILE...HODOGRAPHS WILL
ENLARGE DUE TO STRENGTHENING LLJ...RESULTING IN EXTREME 0-1 KM SRH
OF AOA 500 J/KG OVER NE TX NEAR AND N OF ACT-LFK LINE...TRENDING TO
STILL-FAVORABLE 200-300 J/KG ACROSS MUCH OF WW 220. CONVECTIVE
COVERAGE WILL BECOME MORE SPARSE WITH SWD EXTENT THROUGH WW
220...HOWEVER ANY SUSTAINED TSTMS THAT CAN DEVELOP WILL POST RISK OF
LARGE/DAMAGING HAIL AND TORNADOES.

ADDITIONAL LEFT SPLITS WITH LARGE HAIL ALSO ARE
POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY FOR ANOTHER 2-3 HOURS UNTIL LLJ SUBSTANTIALLY
ENLARGES LOW-LEVEL HODOGRAPHS AND REMOVES NEGATIVE SRH.

[redneckweather]

Tornado Watch has now been extended till 5am. I hate those midnight creeper thunderstorms usually but not this time.



TORNADO WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE FOR WT 223
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
945 PM CDT TUE APR 26 2011

TORNADO WATCH 223 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 500 AM CDT FOR THE
FOLLOWING LOCATIONS

TXC001-005-027-041-051-073-145-161-185-199-203-225-241-287-289-
291-293-313-331-339-347-351-365-373-395-401-403-405-407-419-455-
457-471-477-491-271000-
/O.NEW.KWNS.TO.A.0223.110427T0245Z-110427T1000Z/

TX
. TEXAS COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE

ANDERSON ANGELINA BELL
BRAZOS BURLESON CHEROKEE
FALLS FREESTONE GRIMES
HARDIN HARRISON HOUSTON
JASPER LEE LEON
LIBERTY LIMESTONE MADISON
MILAM MONTGOMERY NACOGDOCHES
NEWTON PANOLA POLK
ROBERTSON RUSK SABINE
SAN AUGUSTINE SAN JACINTO SHELBY
TRINITY TYLER WALKER
WASHINGTON WILLIAMSON
$$

[Ptarmigan]

Tornado Watch has now been extended till 5am. I hate those midnight creeper thunderstorms usually but not this time.



TORNADO WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE FOR WT 223
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
945 PM CDT TUE APR 26 2011

TORNADO WATCH 223 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 500 AM CDT FOR THE
FOLLOWING LOCATIONS

TXC001-005-027-041-051-073-145-161-185-199-203-225-241-287-289-
291-293-313-331-339-347-351-365-373-395-401-403-405-407-419-455-
457-471-477-491-271000-
/O.NEW.KWNS.TO.A.0223.110427T0245Z-110427T1000Z/

TX
. TEXAS COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE

ANDERSON ANGELINA BELL
BRAZOS BURLESON CHEROKEE
FALLS FREESTONE GRIMES
HARDIN HARRISON HOUSTON
JASPER LEE LEON
LIBERTY LIMESTONE MADISON
MILAM MONTGOMERY NACOGDOCHES
NEWTON PANOLA POLK
ROBERTSON RUSK SABINE
SAN AUGUSTINE SAN JACINTO SHELBY
TRINITY TYLER WALKER
WASHINGTON WILLIAMSON
$$

We haven't had late night thunderstorms in a while. They seem to happen more in the spring and fall than in summer and winter. I know summer can have them from tropical lows and active sea breeze. I remember there multiple nights where we had late night thunderstorms, but those are rare.

Most of the capping inversion is at the 5,000 to 15,000 feet level. They are always there, but they are kept in check by low pressure systems.

[srainhoutx]

Red Flag Warning for all of SE TX today. The front has passed College Station and is headed toward the Coast. Breezy winds and low RH will make for dangerous fire conditions today across much of TX and our area. With humidity down, a much cooler night is ahead. It appears IAH will record the driest April on record with .11 inches. So April will end as it began, very dry. We need rain! Hopefully May can deliver a better chance of rains for all the area.

[srainhoutx]

Nice shot of gravity waves offshore of S TX...

[srainhoutx]

Sounding data suggests near Century mark temps today for areas SW of downtown. Mid 90's appear to be in the forecast for this afternoon across the area.

[texoz]

Sounding data suggests near Century mark temps today for areas SW of downtown. Mid 90's appear to be in the forecast for this afternoon across the area.

Today's forecast high for Austin was 82, per NWS. It's already 85 at 11:30am.

[srainhoutx]

91F here in NW Harris County. IAH also has 91F at this hour. The record daily record for IAH is 93F.

[wxman57]

92 at 1pm at both Hobby and Bush. Relative humidity down to 9.4% at Hobby. That's dry! May top out at 93, but cool air is now reaching Houston.

[wxman57]

Warmer and drier at 2pm. 93 at both airports, RH 8.7% at Hobby:

KHOU| |271853|93.0F|25.0F|8.7%|310|014|025|29.69|999|CLR|
KIAH| |271853|93.0F|32.0F|11.6%|310|017|026|29.70|999|CLR|

[srainhoutx]

New record high for Galveston. 94F...yikes...old record 86F